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Del Potro begins his push toward U.S. Open

WASHINGTON — Hardcourts always have suited Juan Martin del Potro. He has 10 hardcourt tournament titles, including the 2009 U.S. Open, among his 14 career titles. He begins his run-up to this year's U.S. Open

He has 10 hardcourt tournament titles, including the 2009 U.S. Open, among his 14 career titles. He begins his run-up to this year's U.S. Open this week at the Citi Open.

"I love this tournament," del Potro said. "I won twice here and have very good memories. The city is so beautiful, I walk around every night."

He won the Citi Open in 2008 and 2009, and the second of those two is his most memorable. He defeated Andy Roddick in a third-set tiebreaker off a challenge on the replay system.

Then he went on to win the U.S. Open.

He hasn't been back to Washington since that victory.

Del Potro says he is looking to regroup in his first match since his thrilling five-set loss to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals.

"It was a really big battle for both of us, very high intensity, long rallies and after that I needed a week to recover for myself," del Potro said. "This tournament is very important for me; it's my first after Wimbledon."

Del Potro had been dealing with a troublesome knee at Wimbledon, but he confirmed it was just a simple twist and "he's healthy and very excited to be playing."

Del Potro, the Citi Open's top seed, will play the winner between veteran Lleyton Hewitt of Australia or 21-year-old American Ryan Harrison in the second round.

"Having a good tournament here, (means in) Montreal and Cincinnati, you can be a little more relaxed, (and it's) easier to manage the pressure for the U.S. Open," del Potro said.

As the only player since 2005 outside of the Big Four (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) to win a Grand Slam singles title, del Potro is working to close the gap between him and the top players.

"Basically the top three or four have the big difference to the rest of the players or to me," del Potro said. "I need to do very well in important tournaments to get closer, but it's not easy."